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Israel said it will begin withdrawing its troops from five towns on the West Bank on Wednesday amid protest from tens of thousands of Jewish settlers who seek to block both West Bank and Gaza Strip pullouts.

Also, it was announced Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will fly to Israel Sunday in advance of a two-party summit between Palestinian leader President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

The two Mideast leaders are scheduled to meet two days later in a bid to revive a “road map” plan.

Shaul Mofaz, Israel’s defense minister, yesterday said the troop pullout from five West Bank towns would be a further sign of cooperation with the new Abbas administration, which has significantly curbed violence in the Gaza Strip.

Tentative plans call for Ramallah to have the first pullout, on Wednesday. However, the Palestinian Authority said it is not yet prepared to establish authority in Jenin and Nablus, two havens for suicide bombers in the past.

Thousands of people, mainly settlers, gathered in front of Israel’s parliament building in Jerusalem to protest Sharon’s plan to remove all 21 Jewish settlements in Gaza and four of the 120 in the West Bank.

The rally was one of the largest against the pullout since the Sharon plan was OK’d last fall.